


Meeting X & Y

by NavelColt



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Action, Gen, Legendary Pokemon - Freeform, One Shot, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon References, Slice of Life, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 12:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17683442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NavelColt/pseuds/NavelColt
Summary: On an unassuming afternoon, a nameless Kalos researcher faces life and death.





	Meeting X & Y

Never had I seen a Pokemon display such terror in a mere expression.

I could tell you of the shadows, and how they consumed that warm, bright clearing in a matter of moments. I could tell you of the frigid wind that shook the trees, or the sense of looming dread that seemed to creep at the corners of my mind, but nothing compared to the staggering change in that Helioptile’s face. Like an actor reacting to a falling curtain, the creature’s whimsical demeanor vanished with the darkening sky, and it was swiftly replaced by one of shock and undiluted fear.

It abandoned the Poke Puff I had offered it, the one it had so eagerly been chewing on only moments before, and darted for the forest’s protective cover. Following its leave, I could see flocks of Fletchling and Fletchinder fleeing from the forest canopy, their shrill chirps full of distress.

It wasn’t until I had gotten to my feet, attempting to grasp just what had frightened them, that a petrifying cry tore through the sky, echoing in my ears and sending a chill up my spine.

I turned, and my body grew numb. At first glance I saw the wings of an airliner soaring low to the ground, but as the wings began to flap they revealed massive, clawed talons upon each end, slicing through the air like lethal rakes. Pupil-less blue eyes pierced the dark, and I could see sharpened horns adorning its birdlike head. A thick grey plume rose from its neck, wispy and fluid in the wind like a cloud of smoke, and the black markings tracing along its underbelly seemed to glow a sickly red.

I instinctively clenched my fists, unable to look away. I knew what it was that flew above my head, but I was too stunned to speak, or do much of anything except stare. As a Pokemon researcher, you convince yourself you're prepared for anything. You immerse yourself in their world, learning of their habitats and behaviors, and eventually, your acquired knowledge becomes your comfort zone. The daily routines, the patterns of interaction, your hypotheses and endless research; everything is a controlled environment with you as its master.

But as the Destruction Pokemon perched itself atop a rocky outcropping, peering at me with those haunting eyes, I came to understand differently. We were little more than children co-existing with wonderful, and at times, truly monstrous creatures.

“Yveltal…”

The name fell from my tongue as a whisper, but the creature’s focus on me seemed to sharpen all the same. I was - as I rightly should have been - terrified, but at the same time felt privileged to witness such an incredible Pokemon in person. Its wings settled on the ground in front of it like massive clawed hands, and in doing so, it caused tornadoes of loosened leaves and blades of grass to storm throughout the clearing. Truly, I was in the presence of something more than a Pokemon; I was witnessing a force of nature, itself.

“How long have you been active,” was what I blurted out, hardly expecting an answer, but unable to keep me racing thoughts at bay. I should have run, left the deadly Pokemon alone just as that Helioptile had, but my excitement had gotten the better of me. “When did you awaken from your cocoon?”

It seemed to stretch itself out there on that boulder, arching its back. It was a subtle moment, but not to me. I adopted a smile in some false sense of security; it had just recently emerged, I thought to myself, and was now stretching its wings. I was perhaps the first Pokemon researcher, perhaps the very first human being to experience Yveltal’s typical behaviors in the wild, and that positive thought drowned out the looming dread still seated in the back of my mind.

Having foolishly dropped my guard, I took a step forward, and regretted it. With that single advance, Yveltal’s attention snapped back to me, and it adopted a defensive stance. The resulting cry it gave shook me down to my bones, and I nearly lost my balance. My rational senses returning to me, I scampered backwards, only to trip over a stone in my panicked state. When Yveltal took off with a single wingbeat, I felt my heart plummet. I had made a very grave error in judgement.

Turning head over heels I fled, abandoning my fallen backpack and the entirety of its contents. Shrill yells and wingbeats followed after

me, spurring me on towards the edge of the surrounding forest. But even as tree trunks began to pass me, and my panic settled marginally, I knew that I was both literally and figuratively not out of these woods, yet.

I would not make the same mistake again.

I leaped over a tree root and shouted; a blinding beam of red light struck the ground like guided lightning not five feet in front of me. As it seared a path through the woods off to my left, the foliage and life flourishing all around began to disintegrate before my eyes. Leaves, grass and even tiny insects appeared to burn away to ash from an invisible flame, leaving only petrified trees behind.

Adrenaline coursed through me. All at once, my career, my love for scientific research, my love for Pokemon; none of it mattered anymore. In no exaggeration I sprinted for my life, jumping tree roots and whipping around trees like an Olympic athlete. I could still hear it following me, the trees overhead bending in the wake of its flight, but I knew I couldn’t stop to look back. Even if it was impossible to outrun the grim reaper, I would go out trying.

But my bravado would remain unfulfilled.

Clearing a section of trees I came to the base of a short cliff edge, tens of feet above my head; too wide to go around, and far too tall to climb in time. My eyes darted around the entire area as I wracked my brain for anything I could use; camouflage, a hiding place, a distraction, but there was nothing of use - not in the handful of seconds available to me.

For a second time I turned to meet Yveltal, the knowledge of it being just behind me far more grim than my blissful ignorance from a few minutes prior. Planted to my spot I clenched my teeth, my heart thumping against my ribs as I watched the dark Pokemon linger in the air a few fleeting moments, before its trio of clawed limbs conjoined, and a dark ball of energy formed at the epicenter - an energy readying to sweep in whatever direction I attempted to flee in.

I’m not ashamed to say that I closed my eyes and felt a hot sting of tears as the energy fired. If nothing else, I awaited my end honorably, or at least I liked to think so.

As seconds passed by, that existential dread returned again, this time bringing fears of excruciating pain with it. But no pain came, nor did my loss of consciousness. The deadly sound of Yveltal’s attack continued to plague the forest, yet I felt nothing, still standing there with the grass beneath my feet, too afraid to open my eyes.

_…you have nothing to fear._

A voice clearly spoke to my mind, and my eyes opened again quite suddenly.

Yveltal’s dark power surrounded me, an opaque wave of red and black energy, held back by a brilliant golden aura. Inside this orb of light a warmth flowed through me, filling me with a strange calm. When an adolescent tree just beyond my reach began to glow in the same form, I found my newly calmed nerves overwhelmed once more. The tree’s gnarled branches had become a series of radiant antlers, shimmering in all colors of the rainbow, while an aged trunk expanded, revealing the flank and hindquarters of a deer.

_It will bring no harm to you, not while I am here._

My legs grew weak, and I collapsed to my knees. What tears had begun to form from my impending death now flowed freely at the sight of the most beautiful Pokemon I had ever seen. Standing tall and firm in the face of Yveltal’s fury was the Life Pokemon, newly awoken from hibernation.

“Xerneas,” I breathed erratically, disbelieving both my eyes and my uncanny luck. Its head turned slightly, and there I caught a glimpse of an eerie, yet oddly welcoming ‘x’ shaped iris. It may have been a trick of the mind, but I knew I saw it nod to me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. Xerneas placed a hoof to the ground, and all at once, the vibrant shield around us, as well as the void of red energy surrounding us extinguished in an instant. Awestruck, I watched what I can only describe as a confrontation between deities, and something of which I would most certainly never witness again.

Yveltal hovered in the darkened sky, holding its ground with steady beats of its monstrous wings. It had forgotten all about me. Its attention now focused entirely on the Life Pokemon, which continued to so casually walk forward, silently staring up at the carrion bird with a benign interest. Neither made a move, but still I felt a weight on my chest, as if the very air had become heavy - as if their auras of power were being flexed in displays of intimidation.

I swallowed a hard lump in my throat, my body still, but my mind a ceaseless array of static. It occurred to me that my safety had not been guaranteed, but merely extended. If these two Pokemon fought here, I would no doubt become collateral damage. I had faith in Xerneas’ power, but not in its ability to protect a bumbling fool like myself while fighting off Yveltal at the same time. As much as I wished to stay, to observe these majestic creatures in all their glory, I refused to be a burden on Xerneas.

My feet slid across the ground to catch a grip to stand, but just as I made the movement to rise, I froze - Yveltal had landed just inside the clearing.

It was a frightening thing; twice the Life Pokemon’s size, it absolutely dwarfed me by comparison. Those large claws laid upon the ground to each side of Xerneas, and its head too seemed to lower to Xerneas’ height. Again I found myself staring in some mixture of reverence and curiosity, completely disregarding my own safety, but this time I felt no fear or sense of dread emanating from the Destruction Pokemon. The heaviness in the air had dissipated, too, and when my eyes stung quite suddenly I realized the sun’s rays had begun to pierce the clouds.

Shielding my face, I gazed at the pair of legendary Pokemon and saw them make contact. Swaths of sunlight now shone down on the forest, bathing the three of us and illuminating the colors radiating from Xerneas’ antlers. For a long moment there was no movement or sound, not even from the surrounding forest - all of nature came to a standstill, and I peered around in surprise to see that even the swaying trees had become calm.

When next I turned I found Xerneas patiently watching me with those x-shaped eyes. From just behind it, Yveltal took off from the ground with the force of an erupting volcano, spraying blades of grass and causing the forest to dance with the newly-born wind. It gave out a cry far different from what I had heard moments before fleeing for my life, and before I knew it, it vanished beyond the forest’s tree line.

Throughout this the Life Pokemon remained unfazed, not once blinking in its observation of me.

“Thank you, Xerneas," was all I managed to say, brushing myself of dirt and getting to my feet. I wanted to express my admiration for its beauty, or maybe its power to calm even death, itself, but I couldn’t find the words. When its antlers dulled to a pale silver, it turned about on one hoof and began to bound towards the opposite end of the clearing.

_Never cease your care for this place, or those that live here._

I was torn from my thoughts, the serene voice from earlier again loud and clear in my mind.

Upon reaching the forest’s edge, Xerneas pivoted and cast me a final glance.

_Nurturing life is the greatest gift mankind can give. Share that gift with all life, and with each other, and the balance of nature will thrive forevermore._

The wind blew through my hair, making me all too conscious of the lingering sweat on my face. I stood in awe as Xerneas turned and vanished between the trees, leaving me right where I had left my fallen backpack, and the discarded Poke Puff.

I had no words, hardly any thoughts for the astounding intelligence I had just witnessed through telepathy. I found myself blindly ogling after where I had seen Xerneas’ tail disappear.

What followed my shock was a newly-lit flame. Yes, I would continue to nurture life, to study, befriend and form important relationships with the Pokemon of Kalos. There was no greater privilege in this life than to support the growth of both Pokemon and humans, and thanks to Xerneas, I now knew that for a fact.

Finally tearing myself from my stare, I reached down to retrieve my fallen items, fumbling to put things back into my sack. But as I reached for the stray Poke Puff, a small hand touched mine, and I was startled. I turned to find a familiar face looking back at me, its blissful smile now restored.

“Why hello, little friend. I’m so glad you came back,” I said with a mutual smile. “Why don’t we both take a break after that frightening episode.”


End file.
